Q45 climbing dirt roads

[LazarGator]

Good morning Q45 riders. Do any of you know (or have opinion on) how the Q45 would do on sustained (say 3-5 miles) 4-6% grade climbs on dirt roads or trails? Like Forest Service or fire roads, as in the image, (Great Divide MTB Trail in Wyoming from my 2021 ride), only steeper? Would front wheel slip be an issue on such grades? What about steeper, like 8-10%? Assume a fit rider who could easily do the climbs on an upright bike. One gentleman has ridden the entire Great Divide MTB trail on a rear drive Azub Six ( https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/?o=3d2&doc_id=21550&v=fJ ) without much trouble. Haven't found anything on the web about anyone doing part or all of the GD trail on a Cruzbike. I'm about to cancel out my summer trip to Colorado to ride a GDMBT section of 235 miles, because of back/neck arthritis so can no longer use my upright bikepacking bike. But then the thought struck me, could I do it on a Q45, with widest knobby tires that fit (maybe Rene Herse Jupiter Ridge 48) and appropriate gearing? Am I crazy to think of trying this? BTW, I routinely do 50-85 mile rides on my S40 (on asphalt), so very comfortable on a Cruzbike. Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[3bs]

not crazy at all. but, when it comes to front wheel slip, the issue is weight distribution. i have done steep climbs out west where i had wheel slip on my s40 on pavement. last year i had wheel slip on a steep climb on my v20 from a dead stop. (i hate climbing on any bike.)

the s40 with 40's is very good on gravel, except soft sand and wet mud. The sofrider has the same issue, but is very good on long distance gravel, and it is the most similar to the q45. the 45 also being more upright puts more weight on the front wheel. when you get into the century distances per day, the suspension is really helpful. your RH tire choice is quite good.

i have an upright gravel with 45's and a double mullet drive train for really crappy riding regardless of the pitch.

i don't like a lot of weight on the front end generally, but i think you could give yourself options to move weight back and forth on your rig, so if you had slip, you could just move some weight forward.

 

[LazarGator]

not crazy at all. but, when it comes to front wheel slip, the issue is weight distribution. i have done steep climbs out west where i had wheel slip on my s40 on pavement. last year i had wheel slip on a steep climb on my v20 from a dead stop. (i hate climbing on any bike.)

the s40 with 40's is very good on gravel, except soft sand and wet mud. The sofrider has the same issue, but is very good on long distance gravel, and it is the most similar to the q45. the 45 also being more upright puts more weight on the front wheel. when you get into the century distances per day, the suspension is really helpful. your RH tire choice is quite good.

i have an upright gravel with 45's and a double mullet drive train for really crappy riding regardless of the pitch.

i don't like a lot of weight on the front end generally, but i think you could give yourself options to move weight back and forth on your rig, so if you had slip, you could just move some weight forward.

Thanks 3bs, this is really helpful!

 

[pseudogrammaton]

Chiming in late here ... I've ridden up a variety of semi-loose roadbeds (sandy loam, medium sized gravel, etc.) on the Q45 650b stock tires & completely lost traction at anything above 10 degrees (17% slope). However I intend to cross-grade my wheelset to either 24" or 20" however, to accommodate far wider tires - either knobby or smooth.

 

[billyk]

4-6 degrees, wide knobby tires, yes.
10 degrees or more, well, maybe. Probably not, in any case it would be a source of continued worry and likely frustration as you’d be slipping and then walking on at least some of them.
Sorry to be a bringdown, but my experience (more than 20k Q miles mostly on streets in hilly Seattle, with street tires) is that i can climb a clean dry fairly short 10+ hill, but wet, or a bit of sand/gravel, I’m done.
Love the Q, but it has this inherent weak point.

If you succeed in this ride, please let us know!!!